Preparation and

Properties of a Soap

What is Soap?
Soap is the sodium or potassium salt of a
long-chain fatty acid.

Sodium
Stearate

How does soap work?

Because like dissolves like the nonpolar end
of the soap molecule can dissolve the greasy
dirt, and the polar or ionic end of the molecule
is attracted to water molecules.

Emulsion
An emulsifying agent is a substance
used to disperse one liquid in the
form of finely suspended particles or
droplets in another liquid. This is
what soap is

Sketch courtesy of:

http://www.chromatography.amershambiosciences.com/

How is soap formed?

When we treat fats or oils with strong bases
such as lye (NaOH) or potash (KOH) they
undergo hydrolysis and form glycerol and
soap.

Properties of soap
Because soaps are salts of strong bases and weak
acids, they should be weakly basic. However,
sometimes soap can be basic enough to cause
skin damage so an alkalinity test must be
performed on our soap after we make it today.

More properties of soap

Soap becomes ineffective in hard water. Hard
water contains large amounts of Ca2+ and Mg2+
salts. Because of this, synthetic detergents
have become common alternatives for soap.

And some more

properties
In acidic solution, soap is converted to free
fatty acid and therefore loses its cleansing
action.

Today we will
Use

vegetable oil to make soap.

Use

alcohol as a solvent and NaOH to

hydrolyze the fatty acid into our soap
compound.

Filter

our soap.

We will also
Test the properties of soap

Emulsifying properties: we will mix oil and water

and see how the addition of our soap effects the
mixtures ability to form an emulsion.

Hard water reactions: we will test our soap with

minerals associated with hard water to
demonstrate their effects on our soap.

Alkalinity - we will test the basicity of our soap.

Caution!
Alcohol is flammable! Do not allow near an
open flame or heat source.
Do not take your soap home for personal
use!!

Potential Health Concerns

Inhalation: irritant, coughing, shortness of breath, drowsiness, loss of

appetite, aspiration pneumonia, chemical pneumonitis, pulmonary
edema, coma

Ingestion: irritation of the mucous membranes, mouth, throat and

digestive tract, gastrointestinal upset, vomiting, abdominal pain,
vomiting, diarrhea, central nervous system depression, hypocalcemia,
lack of reflexis, headache, gastritis, intoxication, blindness, low blood
pressure, tachycardia, skin discoloration, rigidity, convulsion,
dehydration, organ congestion, perforation, shock, coma, death

Skin contact: irritant, burns, cracking, flaking, defatting of skin,

absorption through the skin, dermatitis, ulcers, rash, cyanosis

Eye contact: mechanical abrasion of the eyes, tearing, burns, pain,

blurred vision, conjunctivitis, corneal damage

Tumorigen, mutagen, teratogen and reproductive effector